Bedfordshire Police
Pay Scales
What Bedfordshire actually pays in 2026 — the full constable scale, every allowance, and what reaches your account each month.
Looking for Bedfordshire Police jobs or recruitment rather than pay? See Bedfordshire Police jobs: is it recruiting, which routes are open and how to apply.
Starting salary
£34,325
£32,255 + £2,070 allowances (max rates)
Take-home
£2,076
per month, at the starting point
Top of scale
£54,085
≈ £3,076/mo take-home
Against all 43
#8
top is the Met, £42,334
Allowances Bedfordshire pays
- South East Allowance up to +£2,070/yr
Supplement for high-cost South East forces (2026/27 rate; Bedfordshire, Hampshire and Sussex pay a lower rate).
2026/27 figures, calculated as the official 2025/26 rate (Home Office Circular 011/2026) plus the 3.5% increase confirmed on 15 July 2026; the Home Office had not published the 2026/27 determination at 30 September 2026. The South East Allowance figure is the national maximum: the chief constable sets the actual rate up to it. London and South East allowances explained.
Bedfordshire constable pay scale
Effective 1 September 2026 (calculated: the official 2025/26 scale plus the 3.5% award, rounded to the nearest pound). This is the 7-point scale for constables appointed on or after 1 April 2013 — everyone joining now starts at point 1 and moves up as they complete each year, subject to satisfactory performance, until point 7. (Constables appointed before April 2013 remain on an older 8-point scale — see both scales explained. Some forces start recruits at point 2.)
| Pay point | National base | At Bedfordshire |
|---|---|---|
| Point 1 (on appointment) | £32,255 | £34,325 |
| Point 2 | £33,609 | £35,679 |
| Point 3 | £34,972 | £37,042 |
| Point 4 | £36,335 | £38,405 |
| Point 5 | £39,058 | £41,128 |
| Point 6 | £44,544 | £46,614 |
| Point 7 | £52,015 | £54,085 |
Pay beyond constable at Bedfordshire
The constable scale tops out at £54,085. Promotion is what moves you past it — here's what the next two ranks actually pay at Bedfordshire, allowances included.
| Rank | National base | At Bedfordshire | Take-home/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergeant | £58,175 | £60,245 | £3,388 |
| Inspector | £66,000 | £68,070 | £3,712 |
Sergeant tops out at point 4; Inspector is shown at point 0. See the full national pay scales for every point in between.
Bedfordshire police staff pay
Civilian roles, not officersEverything above is the officer constable scale. Police staff — including PCSOs, control room, custody and back-office roles — aren't on that scale at all. Bedfordshire sets its own local pay and grading structure for staff, uplifted each year by the national Police Staff Council award, so there's no single published table the way there is for officers. Staff (and PCSOs) are also on the Local Government Pension Scheme, not the Police Pension Scheme shown on this page.
What's a pension on £34,325–£54,085 actually worth?
The police pension is often worth more than the salary itself over a full career — and it's the part no job advert quantifies. Run Bedfordshire's own pay figures through the calculator to see the real number.
Bedfordshire pay questions
How much does a Bedfordshire Police officer earn? +
A Bedfordshire Police constable joining on pay point 1 starts on £34,325 a year and reaches £54,085 at the top of the constable scale (point 7) after six annual increments. That includes up to £2,070 of regional allowances on top of the national scale. These are 2026/27 figures calculated from the official 2025/26 scale plus the 3.5% award from 1 September 2026.
What is the take-home pay for a Bedfordshire Police constable? +
On the £34,325 starting salary, roughly £2,076 a month reaches your account after income tax, National Insurance and the 12.88% police pension contribution. At the top of the constable scale that rises to around £3,076 a month.
Does Bedfordshire Police pay a regional allowance? +
Yes — South East Allowance of up to £2,070 a year. This is paid on top of the national pay scale. The chief constable sets the South East Allowance up to that 2026/27 maximum (the 2025/26 maximum plus 3.5%), so the amount paid can be lower.
What does a Bedfordshire Police sergeant or inspector earn? +
A Bedfordshire Police sergeant earns £60,245 at the top of the sergeant scale, and an inspector starts at £68,070 — both including the same allowances a constable here gets.
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